Wildflowers & Waterfalls

Today was a great day to experience the awakening of the trails. At every turn I saw new wildflowers opening up or else getting ready to bloom. The trail of the day was Buck Spring which takes you from Hwy. 276 to the Pisgah Inn. Although the trail felt almost level, you still gain some elevation in the 6 mile hike. (each way) In addition to the wildflowers, you get to cross 13 streams on this hike - thus the waterfalls. If you'd like to experience a trail that seems almost flat, then this is the one for you! Overall, a great hike with beautiful weather, making up for the cold and rainy hike of last weekend. Also, if you get into the Davidson River area, check out the 2-1/2 miles of charred woods along 276 above the turnoff to the Horse Stables. Maybe caused by a careless smoker? Looking forward to hiking in GSMNP near Lake Fontana next weekend.

When ahead of schedule.....take a break!

It's great to be on track so that when the opportunity happens you can take a weekend to enjoy something else! Barbara & I enjoyed spending the St. Patty's Day weekend in Savannah. What a great parade! This weekend, we had cooler days with plenty of showers. I put off the hike on Saturday due rain and thunder in the morning - bad decision! I did get out on Sunday morning - it rained all the way to the start of the hike. Due to being in a hurry to start, I left my gloves home and could have really used them. I did manage to hike in 2 miles and decided to call it a short day. All told, I did manage 4.1 miles with over 1700 feet of climbing. I also got to see several wildflowers out there and look forward to getting a longer hike in this coming weekend. So, until then, I'll be thinking of where to go next! I really can't wait to get back into the Smokies - I'd like to take every trail to Mt. LeConte & back this season.

Hike to Yellowstone Falls

10 Hikes, 101 Miles Forward, 7.3 Miles UP!

Today, I completed my 10th hike of the year. With the hike in mid March , I was reminded of WNC on this weekend in 1993 - the storm of the century. 34" snow, high winds caused the weather man to call this a hurricane with snow! I enjoyed 11 miles of Mountains to Sea trail with outstanding views and temps in the 60's. I found myself studying "scat" along the trail and trying to figure if this was from a fox or a bobcat. The turnaround spot was @ Yellowstone Falls - the view, the sounds - what a spot! Next week will be a little time off the trail with a trip to enjoy the Savannah St. Patty's Day parade.







1st Wildflower of the Season!

Today, I continued to log my miles, despite a very high likelihood of rain. Since I was up to 78 miles in 8 hikes, I was aiming to add 12 miles so that my average would go up to 10 miles per hike. The woods were extremely quiet due to a heavy fog and low cloud cover. With expectations of rain, I left the camera home, so figured I'd see some wildlife. With all the hiking that I've done over the last few years, I've only seen bears on trails when I've been very close to campgrounds. I did see one rattle snake last fall, but he was off the trail sunning himself and minding his own business.  But today, my one sighting was 1 lonely violet flower that had bloomed in a large patch. I can't wait til next time when the whole patch of flowers will be in bloom - I will try to capture them with my camera. So today, I am into my 3rd month and have 90 miles in with only 510 to go!